


A Place With No Name

by ChillyHollow



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dancing, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow
Summary: Inspired by this dance compilation video to Michael Jackson’s songhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPEt_xyOsE
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 9
Kudos: 22





	A Place With No Name

The club was heaving with people, many dancing to the music the DJ was providing.Robin hadn’t really wanted to go to a dance club, particularly on a Friday night, but it was where the mark was headed so she and Strike had followed along.He’d managed a table in an out-of-the-way corner where they could see but not easily be seen.Various men had asked Robin to dance and she’d played along as long as they weren’t obviously drunk.Being on the dance floor, she could keep an eye on the mark without being obvious.

Strike was still at their table, with a whisky he was actually drinking.They’d been drinking non-alcoholic drinks all evening, but since they were leaving in another half hour regardless of what the mark did, he’d opted for a real drink and had gotten Robin a white wine as well.As Robin moved around the dance floor, she occasionally sent a smile his way and he smiled back.His eyes followed her in a way that made her feel a little giddy.Or maybe it was being out dancing after a long spell of not going out at all after she walked out on Matthew. Or maybe it was the wine after a long work day.

The music ended, Robin thanked her escort and hurried back to her table.When she arrived three giggling girls were there, trying to talk Strike into dancing with them.As Robin walked up she heard the girls saying it was a wager they were trying to win.They’d bet their friends they could talk anyone into dancing with them. Their friends, noticing Strike sitting all evening, had specified him.Strike told them politely that he didn’t dance, but they were pleading with him. A demon in her prompted Robin to say, “Oh, go ahead.We’re at a dance club, after all.”

He rolled his eyes at her but finally agreed.“Come on, you three, let’s get this over with.”Strike stripped off his coat and tossed it on his chair, rolled up his sleeves, then headed to an open space on the dance floor.The giggling girls followed him onto the dance floor as the introduction to “A Place With No Name” came over the sound system.The girls looked a little nervous but Strike began to move his shoulders a little to the beat, and gave them what Robin thought was an unnecessarily sexy smile, then started snapping his fingers in time to the music.The girls perked up and began dancing around Strike, who spun on his heel a quarter turn and began to move his hips to the music.His hands in fists, his arms up and bent at the elbows, his lip caught between his teeth, he moved perfectly to the beat.The girls were grinning, arrayed around him, dancing happily.Strike raised an eyebrow at the blonde to his left, then moved close to her back, his nose in her hair and one hand on her waist as they swung their hips in perfect sync.His eyes were hooded, and he had a slight smile on his face, as he turned from the blonde on his right to pull the brunette on his left into him.They danced together face to face for a minute, her hands in both of his, smiling at each other, swaying gently in perfect time, until he turned away and pulled the red head into position on his left and slightly in front of him. He slid his hands into his pockets, and they moved in time to the music with each other, Strike smiling at her as he moved his shoulders and swayed a little, drawing her closer to him with just his eyes until their foreheads touched.He spun away from her and faced all three girls, grabbing the blonde’s hand, pulling her toward him and dipping her, then spinning her away in favor of taking the redhead’s hand to spin her up against him to dance close together for a few steps, then spinning her away and taking the brunette into his arm and swaying with her.The music ended, the three girls applauded and Strike kissed each of their fingers, then headed back to his table where Robin was sitting, awe-struck. 

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.“Or I’ll be stuck dancing all night.”He grabbed his coat, tossed it over his shoulder, took her hand, and led her from the club.Robin had been many places with Matthew where other women checked him out, but she’d never collected so many envious glances as she did following Strike from the dance floor out into the parking lot.

She didn’t know what to say, so she just walked with Strike to his Mercedes.He unlocked the driver’s door, then handed her his keys.“Can you drive?I’ve got to rest the leg.”She nodded, started the car, pulled out into traffic to head back to the office and said in what she hoped was a casual tone, “I didn’t know you could dance.”

“Don’t do it much anymore,” he said absently.“But put whisky in me and I’m a dancing fool, unlike Handsy who spent the evening with his hands on random women’s body parts!”Strike spent the rest of the drive to his flat talking about their mark’s actions and Robin tried hard to concentrate on work. 

At Denmark Street, she parked next to her vehicle, then bade Strike a good night.He reminded her to text him when she got home and she promised to do so.She pulled away and after she was out of sight, she pulled over to the curb and called Ilsa.

“How come you never told me Strike could dance?” she demanded as a somewhat sleepy Ilsa came on the phone. 

“What are you going on about?Cormoran doesn’t dance.” Ilsa paused. “Well, I guess he used to go dancing with Charlotte but they had a big fight about it some years back, something about he didn’t pay enough attention to her and was dancing with other women.She was always possessive.I don’t think they went to dance places after that.Where have you been that Cormoran was dancing?Did you get him sloshed, Ellacott?”

“We were working, our mark went to a dance club so we were stuck there for hours.I danced with various men who asked me but Cormoran didn’t dance.We were getting ready to leave and having one real drink when three girls came up to our table and asked him to dance.They had a bet with friends they couldn’t get anyone their buddies choose to dance.”

“And their friends picked Corm because he was being his normal grumpy self?”

“Something like that.There were three of them and he danced with them all simultaneously.It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“What happened?Did you dance with him?”

“God, no, we got out of there and I drove us back to Denmark Street where I dropped him off and got the Land Rover.I’m on my way home now.”

Ilsa yawned.“You can tell me all about it at lunch tomorrow.We’re still meeting Vanessa at one, right?”

“Yeah, at that new fish place she wants to try.I should be finished tailing my client’s boyfriend by then.See you tomorrow, ok?”They hung up and Robin drove herself home.She texted her partner she’d arrived at her flat, wished him a good night, greeted her roommate and the dog, then headed to her bedroom where she got into her pajamas, and climbed into bed where she played the video she’d shot on her phone in the club.The quality wasn’t that great but Cormoran was even sexier than she remembered.“Lord,” she thought.“I’ll never get to sleep after seeing that!”

The next morning Robin needed two coffees to get motivated after her difficulty falling asleep.At least she was more awake and alert by the time she met her friends for lunch.Vanessa had just gotten off shift and Ilsa was tired after a long week in court, so they were all looking forward to one of their infrequent restaurant rendezvous.Robin was the last one there, as she had the furthest distance to travel. The other two had ordered her a gimlet, which was what they were having.It was very tasty and Robin felt herself starting to relax.Van was telling a story about the perils of wedding planning—she and Oliver had set a date for late next summer—and it made Ilsa and Robin laugh.They ordered shrimp salads with oysters on the half shell for starters and dived into the miniature warm garlic rolls with butter their waitress brought them.Robin took a sip of her drink and smiled to herself.Life was good with friends.

“Robin, what on earth were you going on about last night?Cormoran dancing?” Ilsa asked.

“Wait a minute, Mr. Grumpy dances?” Vanessa interrupted.

“Cormoran and I followed a mark to a dance club last night.We were there quite a while, pretending to drink, but after we got what we needed we each had a real drink.We were sitting at our table, talking and about ready to leave, when three girls came up and asked Cormoran to dance with them.Their friends had bet them that they couldn’t get a random man to dance.I was pretty surprised that he did it, frankly.I didn’t know he could dance.You never let on, Ilsa.”

“I didn’t know he could dance,” Ilsa admitted.“I don’t remember him ever going to a dance when we were kids in Cornwall, but he was in and out of school a lot whenever his mom showed up with them out of the blue or she got the itch to leave.I guess the timing was wrong and he missed the school dances.Is he any good?”

“It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Robin admitted.

“Now that I do not believe.You’ve been celibate too long, girlfriend,” Vanessa declared.

“See for yourself,” Robin said.She pulled out her phone and started the replay.The video was only about four minutes long but it seemed longer as they all crowded together to look at the screen.

Ilsa spoke first.She sounded stunned.“Holy shit!I thought you were exaggerating.”

Vanessa hit replay and they watched the whole thing again, then she shook her head as if to clear it.“I won’t be able to look at Strike without drooling ever again.The man’s got killer moves.Who would have thought it?”

“What about me?” Robin complained.“I have to work with him without jumping him at the first opportunity!”

“Better just drag him into the nearest closet and get it over with,” Vanessa advised.

“Does he know you filmed him?” Ilsa asked.

“No, thank goodness!And you two have to keep this to yourselves.”

Ilsa said, “I see why Charlotte didn’t want to go dancing with him.He must have been constantly prepositioned by women wanting him to dance.”

“Who's Charlotte?” Vanessa asked.

“Corm’s old girlfriend.Gorgeous but crazy.I was thrilled when he finally dumped her.She’s bad news, very controlling, and always picking fights.One of their more epic battles was about going dancing.Charlotte said he didn’t pay enough attention to her.”

“I was glad we got out of there alive.You should have seen the way women were eying him, like the only brownie on a plate of soy custards!”

“I can imagine,” said Vanessa drily.“You owe it to us to seduce him, Robin.We need a play-by-play report on him in bed.Judging by that video he’s plenty memorable.My mother used to warn me about men who could dance.She said they were trouble in the worst way.” 

”Does Oliver dance?” Ilsa asked.

“Yeah, he’s a good dancer.”Vanessa suddenly looked dreamy.“We are going to have lots of dancing at the wedding.You guys need to wear flats for that.”

And the discussion veered off into wedding planning.Robin was glad.She was feeling a little guilty at having revealed one of her partner’s secrets, although she certainly did need help sorting through her feelings after discovering Cormoran can dance.

Cormoran Strike can dance.…Robin drifted off into a daydream and only came to herself again when the waitress asked if they needed another round of gimlets.

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when a random item on YouTube convinces me to meet the challenge of describing dancing. It's much better in my head!


End file.
